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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25703968">Equal</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabbyNundo/pseuds/TabbyNundo'>TabbyNundo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Haruno Sakura, F/F, Prompt Fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:48:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,300</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25703968</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabbyNundo/pseuds/TabbyNundo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura is five and tells her parents about her dream to be a kunoichi. They argue for weeks but eventually give in with the thought that she is just going through a phase. After that she doesn't give up and never stops running. (Old fic idea that I never had the courage to post)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haruno Sakura &amp; Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura/Yamanaka Ino</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Equal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>When Sakura is five and tells her parents about her dream to be a kunoichi, they argue for weeks. Eventually they give in with the thought that she is just going through a phase. After, she never gives up.</p><p>Within the first month, they try to have her forcibly removed from the academy. She threatens to run away.</p><p>After that, they subside into an uneasy truce about her education. As long as she learns the Haruno trade and behaves as a suitable young lady she will be allowed to continue, albeit with restrictions when it comes to the amount of time she is allowed to train. This is the first time the people she loves try to make her into something she is not.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Sakura is six, she meets Ino for the first time.</p><p>Ami and her gang have her surrounded in an out of the way training ground and she knows that it will only end when she is in tears and they feel that she has been knocked down a peg or two (even though arrogance has never been something she could be accused of).</p><p>They had started to push her around after their warm-up of forehead insults when Ino comes running in to put herself between the bullies and their victim. Ami sneers yet recognizes that she is outmatched by the current Yamanaka clan heir and retreats with one last pointed insult at the quivering pinkette.</p><p>As Ino turns around to face her, Sakura gets her first glimpse of her blonde savior and cannot help but think that Ino is the most beautiful girl she has ever seen.</p><p>And while Ino solidifies their newfound friendship with a ribbon to raise the awed girl's confidence, Sakura promises to herself that she will never let this first friendship crumble from anything.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Now that she has a best friend in Ino and Ami and her gang seem to have moved on to another hapless victim, her time at the academy can best be described as blissful. Yet, as content as she is with her time in the classroom, her parents have gotten progressively more distant as her refusal to quit her dream becomes more and more apparent.</p><p>Her teachers have also commented on her lack of physical prowess. And while she abhors the idea of not doing her best, she fears that if she trains herself any more than she already is, her parents will pull her out of the academy regardless of the fact that Sakura is the happiest she has ever been.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Sakura is eight and Ino starts developing a crush on the newly orphaned Uchiha heir, she realizes that despite her best efforts, Ino is slowly drifting apart from her.</p><p>She observes it in the way that Ino focuses more and more time on the surly boy, and in the way she helps Sakura train less and less.</p><p>Sakura can admit to having no clue what to do (Ino is <em>leaving</em> her! What should she do!?Shepromisedto<em>protectsavebemyfriend</em>!) but she knows that she (needs her so much) to do something.</p><p>As Ino starts following (stalking) " Sauske-kun! " more and more often, Sakura turns to her books for a way to solve the situation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It takes longer than she expects, in part because of the way that her mother is spending more and more time training Sakura to uphold the elder Haruno's expectations, and in part because of the fact that she does not like (<em>hates</em>) the only solution that her paltry amount of books could provide.</p><p>But as the weeks pass by and Ino spends less and less time within Sakura's company, she realizes that if she does not do this, act like she also has a crush on the Uchiha heir, act like a fangirl, act like Ino, she will never again be considered an equal in Ino's eyes.</p><p>Maybe a friend, maybe a classmate, but never an equal.</p><p>And if there is one thing she would hate more than becoming Ino's rival (perfect Ino, beautiful Ino. Ino, who<em> shines</em> so bright even when she's sad, even when everything looks dark) it would be to slowly become less, less than worthy, less than an equal, less than hers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So when Sakura arrives at school the next day, she arrives with a (fake) shy smile and greets Ino the same way she always has. Because, despite the way her eyes feel as if they should be filling with tears, she knows (knows that Ino will never protect her after this, never forgive her, never make sure she is okay after her parents make her feel worthless, never reassure her, never<em>betherefor</em> her) if she doesn't Ino will begin to overlook her completely (and isn't<em> that</em> even worse).</p><p>And it burns that Ino doesn't see the conflict raging inside of her because if Ino just asked she would have told her everything (because <em>god</em> she doesn't want to go through with this but she <em>has to</em> because she couldn't live with alternative).</p><p>But as the day passes by and Ino only contributes a handful of words that don't have to do with "Sauske-kun!" Sakura's resolve hardens and she knows that this is necessary.</p><p>So as their class is dismissed for the day, she waves goodbye to Ino (who used to walk with her home but now follows " Sauske-kun!" home to observe him) and starts toward the last Uchiha heir.</p><p>She stays within Ino's line of sight so that Ino will be aware of what is about to occur and stops directly in front of the orphaned Uchiha heir. And while she stands there under the scrutiny of both Ino and the boy that took her away from her, she forces a blush into her cheeks (just like her mother taught her) and holds out her offering so that Ino can't mistake it for anything other than a confession.</p><p>"Sauske-kun!" walks away without a word just like she knew he would, but she doesn't even have to fake sadness because there is no turning back from this path now.</p><p>Ino stares at her from across the way. Yet, even from here, Sakura can see the betrayal in her eyes that is quickly replaced with anger. And as Ino exclaims to her that they are now rivals, Sakura knows that everything will be different from here on out.</p><p>Because she doesn't even like Sauske Uchiha but she has to pretend to.</p><p>Because Ino from now on will only confront her when she is chasing after a boy that she can't help but hate for taking Ino away from her.</p><p>Because she doesn't really have anyone anymore (because she <em>broke</em> the most important promise she had ever made).</p><p><em>This</em> is the first time the people she loves manage to make her change herself into something she could never be.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Sakura is nine and struggling under her parent's harsh expectations, she meets Naruto for the first time.</p><p>The demon boy (as people call him)is a ball of sunshine that she can't help but dislike because he reminds her of Ino.</p><p>And he's not</p><p>(not in any way that counts).</p><p>Yet it hurts because he looks at her with his short (long)blond hair and his blue eyes and all she can remember is Ino.</p><p>Who looks at Sauske much the same way Naruto looks at her and left her best friend because she found a boy who was attractive (and he isn't really, not in heart or soul).</p><p>So yes, she hurts Naruto. She calls him names and hits him when he's being annoying because Naruto is Ino in every way that made Ino hurt her.</p><p>He's chasing after somebody who doesn't care and hurting him (her) is the only way he'll stop (the only way she'll <em>get herfriendback</em>)!</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is as far as I got folks. I wrote this years ago but have a compulsive fear of putting anything out on the internet that makes me vulnerable. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments. Peace Out</p></blockquote></div></div>
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